Microsoft to offer choice of 11 browsers in Europe

If you’re a Windows user in the European Union, you’re about to have a choice in the browser that’s installed on your operating system.

Actually, you’ll have as many as 11 different options under a settlement between the software giant and the European Commission. With Microsoft’s agreement to offer users a veritable smorgasbord of Web browsers, the commission dropped a two-year-old antitrust case.

The agreement, announced in Brussels by the European competition commissioner, Neelie Kroes, calls for Microsoft to give Windows users a choice of up to 11 other browsers from competing companies, including Mozilla, Apple and Google.

Users of Microsoft’s ubiquitous Windows operating system in Europe who have chosen its Internet Explorer as their default browser will receive in a software update an option to switch to a rival, starting next year.

“Millions of European consumers will benefit from this decision by having a free choice about which web browser they use,” Ms. Kroes said in a statement.

In a statement, Microsoft said it was “pleased” with the decision. Jesse Verstraete, a Microsoft spokesman in Brussels, said the company has no plans to extend the offer beyond the 27-member European Union, plus Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.

Windows users will see a screen that feature a slew of browser options — and it won’t just be for Microsoft’s latest flagship, Windows 7. Software updates will be pushed out to users of the older Windows XP and Vista operating systems that will give them the chance to install something other than Internet Explorer.

Again, from the Times:

On the ballot screen, consumers initially will be able to choose from Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, Chrome, Opera, AOL, Maxthon, K-Meleon, Flock, Avant Browser, Sleipnir and Slim Browser. The first five, which are the most widely used, will be prominently displayed, and the others will be shown when a user scrolls sideways on the screen.

Of course, Windows users have always been able to download different browsers on their own, and they’ve been doing so. Internet Explorer’s share of the browser market is down, while those of its rivals – particularly Firefox, Chrome and Safari – are increasing.

According to Net Applications, IE’s global market share was nearly 64 percent in November, down from almost 72 percent in November 2008. Microsoft’s browser dominance – if you can call it that – is not much of an issue anymore.

It will be interesting to see how Windows users in Europe react to this. It likely will be similar to the Web page Windows 7 users see when they don’t have antivirus software on their computers. Although Microsoft offers its own security software, it gives users a choice of 22 options.

Just to keep things fair, when you refresh the page, the order of the icons changes. That apparently won’t be the case for the list of browsers, however.